The new version just so cheap and clunky looking compared to the last one. Same with YouTube. It's like Google fired their design team and hired a bunch of amateurs. I feel like I'm on an old Roku from 2008.
Android on mobile is the exact opposite. It just keeps getting better, smoother, butterier, prettier. While Android TV seems like it set itself back a decade.
Google abandoned the Android TV version of the YouTube app and replaced it with a web browser rendering of www.youtube.com/TV
You're missing out on a lot of what made Android TV unique, specifically the UI components and animations. Almost every smart TV can display a web page, so now the YouTube app seems more generic.
What's crazier is that Netflix is so much worse. I use to could cast Netflix to my shield but now I have to sign into a profile after casting and quoting the app has more steps.
YouTube is so bad too. Ugh. What is that background, a 16bit gradient? It's disgusting. The whole flow of the app was so much better before the recent update.
What update are you referring to here? I'm on a Mi Box 3 running AndroidTV 6 and I haven't noticed any updates. Is it on the Shield only ?
I do wonder if any Googlers browse here because they've really dropped the ball with the UX on android TV. They had something really good with the native leanback interface and now we're left with shitty web views that make it look worse than a lot of modern smart TVs
Seriously. This is a massive opportunity here. Why are they not trying to set the standard for what the future of television is? Why are they suck in the shadow of a decade ago? I'm a dev and I'd be embarrassed of what this product had become if I'd worked on it.
The only problem I have with the new interface is it was a unnecessarily major change. The leanback launcher as alrewdy the best TV interface available. It didn't need an overhaul. I don't hate it nor was it something I was asking for.
Are you talking about Android TV's UI or the UI of specific apps? Cuz that's two completely different questions.
The new ui has potential to be great, and addresses some issues with content discovery and adds the possibility for deep app shortcuts that we're not possible in the old ui.
The channel concept was great in theory but is pretty aweful without enough content providers updating their apps to utilize the new ui elements. If Netflix and Plex would show new content in their channels I would love to jump straight into the show from the home screen. Until their apps are updated, it's just wishful thinking.
Was there an update that recently went out that fucked it up? I like it.
Unfortunately AndroidTV is an afterthought project to Google and one that gets very little support or resouces.
They do not have hardware for it, they do not have an advanced UI for customization (even background cant be changed), and they have poor icon/home screen management with 2 rows with infinite columns rather than normal infinite rows and 5 or 6 columns.
They have yet to add Google Drive, YouTube is a web wrapper, and they have yet to finish GooglePlay store.
If it wasn't for Kodi, I'd probably switch to AppleTV. I do like it more than Roku though. And FireTV is too Prime oriented UI and has Ads.
I guess they all have cons but AndroidTV and even Roku has soooo much potential that it bugs me that they squander it.